Self-closing hinged gate



June 18, 1929. w STEWART i 1,717,473

SELF CLOSING HINGED GATE Filed July 2, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l #wwwa Jurie 18, 1929. w. STEWART SELF CLOSING HINGED GATE Filed July 2,1927 v A#Smets-sheet 2 mvENTOVi MHV June 18, 1929.

W. STEWART SELF CLOSING HINGED GATE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 2, 1927 j@ HTTY.

June 18, 1929. w. STEWART SELF CLOSING HINGED GATE 4 sheetssheet 4 Filed July 2, 1927 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNETED STATES retenir orifice.

SELFHGLOSING HINGED GATE.

Application filed July 2, 1927, Serial No. 203,244, and in Australia August 24, 1926.

This invention has reference to self-closing hinged gates and has for its object to provide means whereby the gato may be opened from opposite sides thereof without it being necessary for the driver of a vehicle alighting therefrom to open or close the gate when desiring to pass through the gate opening, and whereby also the gate will be given an opening impetus simultaneously with the unlatching of the gate from its lock post.

l/Vith reference to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a gate in 4 accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 enlarged perspective view of wheel operating mechanism; Fig. 3 broken sectional elevation on plane 3-3, Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 respectively enlarged detail views showing gate operating mechanism with gate in the closed and partly open positions thereof; Figs. 6 and 7 respectively perspective views of control and stop means for the gate; Figs. 8 and 9 detail views illustrative of the movements of the gate operating means; Figs. and 11 detail views illustrative of the movements of modified form of gate operating means; and Figures 12 and 13 are detail views showing self closing gate hinging means.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 9, the gate 1 may be of any nsu al construction; it is carried on hinges on the hinge post 3, a lock post 4 being located opposite to the hinge post 3. The hinges are of such type that the gate 1 after opening thereof will be caused to automatically close. In Figs. 1, 12 and 13 of the drawings one type of such hinges is shown, the top hinge pin 67 being set more forwardly from the hinge post 3 than is the lower hinge pin 68. Hinge pin 67 is carried by the boltplate 67 and hinge pin 68 is carried by the bolt plate 68a; both bolt plates 67r and 68al are passed through openings in, .the hinge post 3 and are respectively securable thereto by the nuts 8O and 81, washers 82 and 83 being respectively associated with the said bolt ,plates 67a and 68a. Such hinge pin 67 cooperates with an opening in a plate 84 which is adjustably fixed to t-he top rail of the gate 1 by the bolts 85 having securing nuts 86; the top rail of the gate 1 has a series of openings 87 to receive thegbolts 85 whereby the plate 84 is adjustable on the said top rail. Through the hinge pin 67 being set forwardly of the hinge pin 68, the hinge rail 88 of the gate 1 will not be in rectilineal alignment with the hinge post 3 when the gate 1 is set on the khin ge pins 67 and 68; consequently when the gate 1 has been opened, and is made free to return to closed position thereof it will be caused to automatically close. The gate 1 may have attached thereto a rwind vane 69 which is adapted to counteract or balance any wind pressure on the gate 1.

On opposite sides of the gate 1 and at suitable distance therefrom are provided casings 5; each of such casings carry a bracket 6. Below such bracket and supported in the casing is a bar 7 which is holed to receive a rod 8 which projects through such bar andy also through an opening in a friction plate 9 as well as through the bracket 6. rlhe friction plate 9 at one end projects through an opening in the bracket 6. A compressible coil spring surrounds the rod 8 and its opposite ends abut the bracket 6 and the friction plate 9.' Situated below the latter and having bearings in the casing 5 and also in the brackets 10 attached to the sleeper 11 sunk'into the earth 12 with its upper face level with the n surface of such earth is the cranked lever 13. F iXed to the end of the lever 13 which projects into the casing 6 is a cam 14, the latter being adapted to abut the friction plate 9 through the operation of the coil spring 15. n

Atlixed to the end of the lever 13 within the casing 5 is a lever with double arms 16 and 17; the lever arm 16 is shorter than the lever arm 17, and the latter is provided with a claw end 18. Carried in the casing on spindles 19 and.

20 are rotatable pulleys 21 and 22.

rThe lock post 4 has attached thereto a plate 23 which has fixed thereto a bracket 24 whose lower end extends into a recess in the earth12 and has fixed thereto a spindle carrying rotatable pulleys 25 and 26. The plate 23 also carries a spindle for a rotatable pulley 27.

A lever 28 is pivoted to the bracket 24 and another lever 30 is pivoted to one end of the lever 28. There is a stop 31 on the bracket 24 for the lever 28, 'and on the latter lever there is also a stop 32 for the lever 30; such lever 30 at its free end -is forked as at An eX- tensible coil spring 34 is connected at its opposite endsrespectively with the bracket 24 and the lever 28, and the extensible coil spring 35 is also connected at its opposite ends respectively with the levers 28 and 30. Said springs 34 and 35 respectively serve to return the levers 28 and 30 respectively to normal position thereof as shown in Fig. 4, while` also allowing said levers to be moved to `the position thereof as shown in Fig. 5.

Pivot-ed to the lever 28 is one end of the link 36, the other end of the latter being pivoted to the rod 37 movable vertically in guides 38 fixed to the plate 23. The rod 37 may bc fitted withk a cap 39 adaptedto enter a recess 40 in the latch keeper 41 atlixed to the plate 23. The gate 1 carries pivotally thereon a projecting latch 42 controlled for normal positioning thereof by the coil spring There is also a projecting abutment 44 fastened to the gate 1 with which the lever o0 is adapted toengage when the lever 28 is operated to give the gate an impetus in the opening thereof.

To the free end of thc lever 28 issecured one end of a flexible rope 45; the other end of said rope hassecured'thereto one of the ends'of other flexible ropes 46 and 47 the other ends of the ropes 46 and 47 being attached respectively to the short arms 16 of the double armed levers ailixed to the cranked levers 13` associated with the casings 5 situated at the opposite sides of the gate 1. The rope 45 passes over the pulley 27Yand the roj 46 and 47 respectively pass over the pulleys 25 and 26 and the pulleys 21 and 22 in their respective casings 5. Tubular guides 49 and 50 may be provided in the recess in the earth 12 for the respective ropes 46 and V47. A shock absorber spring 66 maybe associated with'the ropes 46 and 47.

' `With the objectof providing means for tem porarily staying the gate 1 in the opening thereof and to assist the closing thereof it is preferred to provide in a suitable location in relation to the hinged side of the gate 1 restraining and stop means of suitable type.

Such restrainingmeans may consist of bearers 51 .sunk into the earth 12 and carrying a plate 52 with ramp 53 and'guides 54 with abutment projections 55, the ramp 53 having a series of restraining faces 56. The stop means may consist of a plate 57 secured to a bearer 58 sunk into the earth 12, the plate 57 having a ramp 59, stop 60, and guide 61 withabutment projection 62, the ramp 59 having restraining faces 64. On the bottom of the gate 1 is pivoteda counterweighted lever 63 with one end thereof projecting beyond the lock end of the gate. The plates 52 and 57 are positioned so that when the gate 1 is being opened the'lever 63 will first meetA the plate 52 passing gradually over its guide 54 andthen meeting the plate 57 andl gradually passing over its V'ramp 59 and guide 61 until it finally impacts with the stop 60. In the gradual passage backwardly of the lever 63 Valong the ramps 59 and 53 said lever contacts with the abutment-s 62 and 55 as well as the restraining faces 64 and 56.

In operation, when the wheel 65 of a vehicle contacts with one of the cranked levers vof the spring 15 operating on the cam 14,

such lever is depressed whereby the short arm 16 of they double armed lever is raised.'

Such raising of the lever arm 16 draws on either of the ropes 46 or 47 and the lever28 is thus 'canted to throw the lever 30 into engagement with the abutment 44 and simultaneously to cant the link 36 to lift the rod 37 to force the spring controlled latch 42 out of engagement with the keeper 41. 1V hen the latch'42 has been so disengaged the lever 30 gives an impetus to the gate 1 and the latter is thus thrown into open position and eventually contacts with the restraining plate 52 and the stop plate 57 until'it meets the stop 60 on the latter plate when it is caused to make return to closed position thereof. In the automatic closing of the gate on itself closing hinge pins 67 and 68, the latch 42 automatically engages the keeper 41, and the levers 28 and 30 are respectively returned to normal position the action of the springs 34 andv 35, the link 36 and rod 37 being also simultaneously returned to normal position. Slow movement is imparted to either of the ropes 46 or 47 through the movement of the short armed lever 16 but through the movement of such short arm the longer arm 17 of the lever is brought into engagement with either of the ropes 46 or 47 and they are thus given quicker movement.

Referring to Figs. 10 and 11, a modified construction of gate operating means are shown therein7 oppositely disposed flexible ropes 70 and 71 being respectively carried to one of the ends of separate levers 72 and 73 which are pivoted to a plate 74 fixed to a lock post 75 and the opposite ends of such ropes being connected to aY short lever arm associated with a cranked lever as previously described. Said levers 72 and 73 cross each other and are so arranged in relation tothe gate latch 76 that when either of the ropes 70 or 71 are drawn on through the operation of cranked lever means and associated elements in casings 5 as hereinbefore described the latch 76 is raised out of engagement with the keeper 77 and the gate is given some iinpetus for opening thereof through the movement ofeither of the levers 72 and 73 in con tact therewith; further pressure may be imparted to the gate 1 to complete its opening movement through a vehicle contacting with the gate in passing through the gate opening.

TWhat l vclaim as my invention and desire tosecure byk Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a swinging gate; of a lock post therefor; latch mechanism cooperating with said post andy gate; tiltable meansr adjacent the gate and comprising a crank, a cam on the crank, means cooperating with the cam for normally retaining the crank'in proper position for tilting, and a double-armed lever on said crank; flexible means associated at one end with one arm of said lever; and means on the lock post associated with and operable bythe other end of said flexible means when the crank is Cil tilted for releasing said latch mechanism and impelling the gate into open position; the tree arm of said lever being longer than the other arm and adapted to engage the flexible means for speeding the operation thereof after tilting has been initiated.

2. The combination With a swinging gate; of a lock post therefor; latch mechanism cooperating with said post and gate; tiltable means on opposite sides of the gate; Hexible means associated with each tiltable means; and means on the lock post ttor releasing the latch mechanism and impelling the gate into open position; said last-named means com prising other lexible means one end of Which is associated with said release and impelling means and the other end of Which is associated with the tree ends oi' said first-mentioned flexible means.

3. The combination with a hinged gate; of a lock post therefor; latch mechanism cooperating with said post and gate; tilt-able means adjacent the gate; iiexible means associated at one end with said tiltable means; and means on the lock post associated With and operable by the other end of said flexible means when the tiltable means is tilted for releasing said latch mechanism and impelling the gate into open position; said release and impelling means comprising a spring controlled main lever pivoted to the lock post; a spring-controlled gate-impelling leverpivoted to said main lever, and link means pivoted at its opposite ends respectively to the main lever and to the latohing mechanism.

4. The combination With a hinged gate; of a lock post therefor7 latch mechanism cooperating with said post and gate; tiltable means on opposite sides oi' the gate; separate iiexble means extending respectively :from said tiltahle means to the lock post; and means on the lock post operable by said flexible means' for releasing the latch mechanism and impelling the gate into open position; said release and impelling means comprising a pair of crossed levers pivoted adjacent the latehing mechanism and connected respectively to said flexible means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ILLIAM STEWART. 

